Demonstrators gathered Saturday morning at Redding City Hall to join nationwide rallies and promote one message — end family separation at the border with Mexico.

Families Belong Together, a protest that was held across the country, brought out about 350 people in Redding, who carried signs and marched along Cypress Avenue in the warm weather.

The “zero-tolerance” policy enacted by President Donald Trump resulted in the separation of at least 2,000 children. When audio of children crying and pictures of children sleeping in cages wrapped in silver blankets surfaced online, it led to a public outcry.

Albert Richmond, 65, Redding

Richmond held a sign that said “CLOSE Trump Detention Centers.”

“(Trump) might as well put his name on it. He likes putting his name on things,” Richmond said.

He said seeing pictures of children in “cages” and hearing the cries of children “being ripped from their parents” was the “last straw.” And he believes the administration is vilifying people the same way Nazi Germany vilified Jewish people.

“Trump is a fascist, he’s a racist. That’s well-known,” he said holding onto his hat in the wind. “So many people stay silent and let injustice prevail. And that’s got to stop.”

He said everyone is an immigrant who came to the U.S. for a better life.

“The Constitution was written by immigrants. Trying to be prejudiced in such a mixed world is abhorrent,” he said.

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Sarah Casia, 41, and Karim Hayath, 48, came dressed in silver blankets, to emulate the blankets given to the children in the detention centers.(Photo: Amber Sandhu/Record Searchlight)

Sarah Casia, 41, and Karim Hayath, 48, Corning

Casia and Hayath both traveled from Corning and intentionally covered their shoulders with silver blankets, much like the images that surfaced online that showed children sleeping on foil-like blankets.

Hayath said they were protesting the administration’s immigration policies and “the ridiculous process that the families have to go through to get into this country.”

“This is not the America that I want to see. I would like to see them end the detention centers now, end deportation now, and end these child prison camps now.”

Sarah Casia

Casia called the act of splitting up families at the southern border an inhumane practice that’s also a humanitarian crisis.

“This is not the America that I want to see,” she said. “I would like to see them end the detention centers now, end deportation now, and end these child prison camps now.”

Hayath added that they’d like to see a comprehensive immigration policy enacted.

“One that is absolutely humane to represent what this country should represent which is an openness to people in need of being in a safe environment,” he said.

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Eric Paredes, 24, and Maria Moreno, 26, drove up from Chico to take part in the Saturday morning rally in Redding.(Photo: Amber Sandhu/Record Searchlight)

Eric Paredes, 24, Live Oak, and Maria Moreno, 26, Chico

Paredes and Moreno were thinking of going to the Chico rally, but realized it was Redding that needed their presence.

“The fight is where we need to be. This is where we need to be today,” Moreno said.

“They’re literally ripping children away from their mothers, fathers away from their children. And the conditions that they’re currently in is just inhumane,” he said. “I’m here because we need to let people know that it’s not OK, that the way this administration is treating these individuals simply because they don’t have legal status is not right.”

“The fight is where we need to be. This is where we need to be today.”

Maria Moreno

Moreno pointed to the way immigrant children are treated by the administration and kept in cages away from their parents.

Paredes echoed that sentiment and said he was concerned of the rhetoric surrounding immigration. He hopes the administration can work to reunite the separated families, but also work on comprehensive immigration reform that has a pathway to citizenship.

“Because immigrants, they’re people. Just because they don’t have legal status does not make them less of a person,” he said.

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Sandra Hamilton Slane, 57, said she was inspired by Mister Rogers' message, and made a sign for the Saturday march.(Photo: Amber Sandhu/Record Searchlight)

Sandra Hamilton Slane, 57, Shasta

Slane had just finished marching with the rest of the crowd and was greeted with supportive honks for the sign she made.

As a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, she paid homage to Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. Her sign had a drawing of the memorable red trolley that read, “Won’t you be my neighbor?”

“I believe in neighbors, like Canada, like Mexico and like our immigrant friends and refugees from South America are our neighbors. That’s what we’re supposed to do, is welcome them to our country. That was how this country was founded so I want to continue to support that right,” she said. “I didn’t have to do anything to get the rights that I have and I'm not going to restrict them from somebody else.”

People march along Cypress Avenue on Saturday morning for the Families Belong Together rally to raise awareness of the children who were separated from their parents in immigration detention centers. Amber Sandhu/Record Searchlight

People march on Cypress Avenue on Saturday morning for the Families Belong Together rally to raise awareness of the kids who were separated from their parents in immigration detention centers. Amber Sandhu/Record Searchlight

People march on Cypress Avenue on Saturday morning as part of the Families Belong Together rally to raise awareness of the children who were separated from their parents in immigration detention centers. Amber Sandhu/Record Searchlight

People march along Cypress Avenue on Saturday morning for the Families Belong Together rally to raise awareness of the children who were separated from their parents at immigration detention centers. Amber Sandhu/Record Searchlight